Astoria # 6

[AZuniga]

I visit the forum often but not always log in, and well, I did not know if I should put this one in the Montblanc section but since I could not find a better place...

This was a pen I looked for longtime and it happens I am using it now, so I wanted to share it. Just two pictures...

As6a.jpg

Ast6.jpg

[RocketRyan]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

[da vinci]

An impressive pen!

Is it a good writer?

[FredRydr]

Is that a safety?

[penwash]

Absolutely beautiful pen and your photos are superb.

A bit more background on why it belongs in the Montblanc section would be a welcome addition

(Yes, I can google it, but I prefer to hear enthusiastic remarks from its owner).

[FredRydr]

A bit more background on why it belongs in the Montblanc section would be a welcome addition...[/I]

Montblanc is to Astoria is kinda/sorta like Rolls-Royce is to Bentley. The former bought the latter, assimilated it, then decades later cleaved it and sold it.

[farmdogfan]

Fantastic pen! and with the box and all.

[AZuniga]

da vinci, It is an excellent writer !

FredRydr, It is a Safety indeed...

penwash, as FredRydr already wrote, the link between Astoria and Montblanc is like a twin sisters affair (or twin brothers)... in a certain period during the tens and twenties last Century they went along most of the time together, with the usual conflicts but very close one to each other, some of the managers going from one to the other more than once.

As there was not a section for Astoria, great quality pens and still working with the normal care we should have for them, it could only be linked to Montblanc...

[Lady Onogaro]

I visit the forum often but not always log in, and well, I did not know if I should put this one in the Montblanc section but since I could not find a better place...

This was a pen I looked for longtime and it happens I am using it now, so I wanted to share it. Just two pictures...

As6a.jpg

Ast6.jpg

Is that mother-of-pearl in the cap? How old is the pen? Why did you like this model in particular? It's lovely.

[amk]

That's a lovely pen. A fascinating profile - not quite a baseball bat, but that taper towards the fat back end is really quite a feature. Beautiful. And the box is really gorgeous.

Now then, why the very long cap? I'm intrigued by that. Most safety pens I have seen have very short caps, because of course you don't need to allow for the length of the nib since it has been retracted. Is it a German thing? or just Astoria?

[AZuniga]

Is that mother-of-pearl in the cap? How old is the pen? Why did you like this model in particular? It's lovely.[/QUOTE]

No, no mother-of-pearl, it is casein as the one Montblanc used for their stars. The date is around 1918 and I like the weight while writing but also the Red Ripple Ebonite which i collect in other brands too...

[AZuniga]

That's a lovely pen. A fascinating profile - not quite a baseball bat, but that taper towards the fat back end is really quite a feature. Beautiful. And the box is really gorgeous.

Now then, why the very long cap? I'm intrigued by that. Most safety pens I have seen have very short caps, because of course you don't need to allow for the length of the nib since it has been retracted. Is it a German thing? or just Astoria?

The only short caps for safeties i remember are some Waterman, and not even all... It does not seem a long cap to me but a normal one, same as Montblanc.
Now even with the nib retracted you have a metal needle inside the cap to avoid the nib moves while the pen is closed.

[amk]

Thanks for the answer! Most of my safeties are Watermans, so perhaps that's why I felt the short cap goes with the safety pen.

[popcod]

To add a curious variant to the mix, here's a recent acquisition I started a thread about last month over at FPN:









I've made inquiries elsewhere as well, but thus far no one has been able to tell me much about it. Based on the cap crown, blindcap imprint (7m), and nib, it appears to be an Astoria in the #7 size. It's a lengthy 5 7/8" capped. Like a Montblanc #7, it's made of black hard rubber. But unlike the Montblanc, the hard rubber is chased. It's also a button filler, not a safety like the #6 above. The only marking on the barrel is 'Verlag Scherl" (an early twentieth-century German publishing company).

I'd eventually like to list this one for sale, but I've been reluctant to until I've gathered more info about the model and its value. Any leads would be much appreciated!